Self-closing container.



w, DOWIE. SELF CLOSING CONTAINER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1. I915.

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Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

SELF-CLOSING CONTAINER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

Application filed May 1, 1915. Serial No. 25,158.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it knownthat I, lVILLIAM Downs, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Self-Closing Container, of which the following is a specification, the same being a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention, relates to containers or vessels, and in particular to a can adapted to be used to hold ashes, garbage or other refuse matter, and provided with a closure that is preferably adapted to be returned to its normal position, after having been used or opened, without the employment of any extraneous agency, and it has for its object the provision of novel devices and combinations of devices as hereinafter set forth.

To attain the desired end the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and operation of parts more fully set forth below and illustrated in the drawings, illustrative of an embodiment of the invention, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the top or cover of my device;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same; and V Fig. 3 is a plan view of the bottom of the container.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in all the views.

Referring particularly to the drawings, A denotes the body of the vessel or container preferably provided with reinforcing vertical ribs, as a, spaced a distance apart. The apertured top or cover, as the head consisting of the body B and annular ledge B of the vessel is preferably formed with reinforcing ribs forming an annular groove,'as Z2 in which ordinarily packing, as C, is permanently and securely fastened, which packing may be of rubber, rope, etc. The groove 72 serves to strengthen the annular ledge B at the exterior of the top or cover of the container and to make it very rigid and durable and able to stand knocks and very rough handling. In the aperture of the cover B I preferably construct a plurality of flaps or doors, as b, ordinarily provided with springs, as b, to normally hold the same in a tightly closed and water proof relation The bottom cover, as the apertured head D comprising an annular ledge, is preferably provided with a peripheral groove, as (Z, and an'annular groove, as 03, located be neath the said cover, in which grooves packing, as C, is ordinarily securely held. The preferably rounding bottom D is ordinarily made with a central opening, as D, over which a slide, as E, is constructed and arranged to work, the said slide being ordinarily passed through a slot, as a, formed in the side and near the bottom of the body of the can, said slide being provided with a handle, as c. A flange, as c, is preferably made at the outer end of the slide and constructed and arranged, when the slide is in a closed relation, to cover the slot a so as to provide a water tight joint, the said flange e, as well as the doors I) being preferably lined with rubber strips in the ordi nary manner where additional security in forming a tight closure is desired.

The container is made very strong and durable by reason of the reinforcing ribs and grooves whereby the cover B is adapted to sustain articles to be emptied, and the life of the same will be thereby prolonged over those of ordinary and nonbraced construction. The packing strips located within the grooves form bumpers to render the container practically noiseless in use. It is also convenient in operation as it may be readily charged and discharged, and, as it is always normally closed, there is no danger of anyone forgetting or neglecting to cover the same. It will be seen that there can be no overflowing of the refuse contained in the Vessel or danger of its contents becoming spilled if the same becomes accidentally overturned.

In order to charge the container, the refuse material is poured in through the top cover between the then depending doors 6, and to discharge the vessel, the latter is merely turned over so as to stand on .the cover B,whereupon, by withdrawing the slide, the contents of the container may be readily poured out through the opening D the reinforcing ribs and grooves serving to prevent the sliding door E and the bottom D from becoming bent out of shape in use.

When the vessel is usedto contain ashes there will be no particles of dust or germs to fly about on account of the closed character of the container, and even if hot coals are poured into the same, no danger will result therefrom as the ordinarily metallic vessel is fireproof.

In cases where the vessel is employed to contain garbage, the container will be found to be odorless and sanitary, and no disagreeable smell can escape from the same. By reason of the tightly closed condition of the vessel, it will not afford a breeding place for flies, besides which, no animals, such as dogs, cats, rats, etc., can drag the garbage out of the same and litter the place with foul disease spreading refuse, while the bumpers afford a ready means for rolling the can.

It is noted that the ledge B of the body B, both of which serve to comprise the aper tured cover, extends over the top of the container, which ledge surrounds the doors I) forming the closure through which the contents of the article to be emptied may be passed. In order to avoid fiexure of the said ledge in use and to stiffen the same the ledge preferably projects away from the body of the receptacle; and adjacent to and preferably under the projecting portions of the ledge, I position a horizontal U-shaped groove 6 to contain a flexible cushioning medium C, the said ledge being also reinforced by the spaced vertically arranged ribs e, also projecting away from the said body and preferably adapted to abut the said groove.

The dished bottom portion of the container also has an annular ledge D surrounding the opening D Which is provided with a closure, as a sliding door E, which ledge may be used With reinforcing means to prevent fieXion thereof. The said reinforcing means may, in this instance, comprise a vertical inverted U-shaped annular groove cl positioned around the edge of the bottom, and an adjacent horizontal annular U- shaped groove cl, both of the U- shaped grooves lying adjacent to the ledge D, and both projecting away from the body of the container. I also preferably use in connection with the said grooves spaced vertically arranged ribs projecting away from the body of the container and to lie adjacent to the groove (Z. The groove d may obviously be omitted, if desired, and both of the said grooves may contain a flexible cushioning medium C to take up the vibration occurring by jars, knocks, etc., incident to the use of the container.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for ob vious modifications will occur to aperson skilled in the art.

lVhat I claim as my invention is:-

1. In a. container of the class described, an apertured head comprising an annular ledge, the said ledge surrounding the interior open portion of the head, reinforcing means to stiffen the said ledge to avoid fieXure in use comprising annular vertical and horizontal means located adjacent to the said ledge and each having a U-shaped groove, and also additional reinforcing means comprising spaced vertically arranged devices to lie adjacent to the first named stiffening means; and a flexible medium contained in the said grooves to cashion the said ledge, in combination with a closure. positioned at the aperture of the head.

2. In a container of the class described, an apertured head comprising an annular ledge, the said ledge surrounding the interior open portion of the head, reinforcing means to stifl'en the said ledge to avoid flexure in use comprising annular horizontal means located adjacent to the said ledge and having a U-shaped groove; and also additional reinforcing means comprising spaced vertically arranged devices to lie adjacent to the first named stiffening means, in combination with a closure positioned at the aperture of the head.

In testimony of the foregoing specification I do hereby sign the same in the city of New York, county and State of New York, this 28th day of December 1914.

lVILLI-AM DOVVIE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

